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So what do you think of the Wippermann Connex Chain Link? $26 and reusable, no tools required?

Update on my experience with the Silca lubricant. TL;DR: I used it and I like it. I've put 114 miles on the chain since cleaning it thoroughly and applying Silca Super Secret Chain Lube out of a squeeze bottle and "massaging it in" as their video directed. I probably could have gone longer...

Ha! I'll never knock duck tape. When I lived on Kauai, there was a local fisherman whose boat trailer had a broken leaf spring. He couldn't find a replacement, so he taped the spring together with duct tape. Six entire rolls of duct tape! And that trailer went in and out of the ocean, almost...

Updates on the 52T chainring replacement... First, from the realm of "Really Stupid Stuff": I hit 44 mph down a long steep hill. Second, I had gotten used to the pants guard on the Como and looked for something similar I could add to the 52T chainring. I found nothing that was not a 5-bolt...

Yes, they come in aluminum (black, blue, red) and steel (silver). The seller's page suggested 12 Nm for the steel ones. Felt right to me. There's an common joke found on motorcycle/car forums: "My method is to tighten the bolt until it strips and then back out half a turn."

No offense taken. I remained free of serious road rash, for I always wore ATGATT on motorcycles. Not on bicycles, except for a probably inadequate helmet and gloves. I never claimed to be fully rational. Hunter Thompson closed "The Song of the Sausage Creature" with: "That is the Curse of Speed...

I understand. I'm coming off 50 years of riding motorcycles. Even so, forty mph on a 55 lb. bicycle is at the limit for me, because I feel the brakes, while good, just aren't designed to handle that kind momentum. I always rode motorcycles with the best brakes I could find, preferably Brembos...

The Deckas 52T chainring fits. The point of interference is about 5 mm forward of the chain, where the down tube expands as it rises. I had a couple surprises during the installation: 1) The Specialized ring would slip over my oversize pedals, but the Deckas would not. So, break out the...

Thanks. I'll order and report back how it went.

This thread is timely, as I'm looking to replace my Como 5.0's chainring due to wear. I ride down some long hills as fast as I can to keep up with traffic and would like to increase the chainring to 52T. Does anybody know if this size would interfere with the downtube or chain stay?

Yes, SUPER clean chain facilitates the adherence to the metal surfaces, from what I've read. Currently I'm using a degreaser followed by a detergent wash, blown dry by compressed air, and then enough agitated washes in 99% alcohol until the solvent is clean and so is a white rag on the chain.

I used to use melted paraffin on a long recumbent bike chain and had good results but it flaked off pretty fast and needed to be redone a little too often for the hassle of it, IME. The Silca SS stuff is supposed to yield comparable results without the heating. They also have a bag wax...

OK, I'm now officially off the deep end, just by wading through this review: https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Lubricant-detail-review-Silca-super-secret-drip-v1.1.pdf TLDR: "So we have quite the highlight to shout about re this test, in that at the end of the first...

His experience was in English weather. I'll report back when I get more data. And then, 1) I love a clean drivetrain, 2) I abhor grinding paste in my chain, and 3) I actually like fiddling with my bike (former machinist). But of course, I honor YMMV!

My thoughts too. From the review: 1100 miles from the $25 (4 oz) bottle. "Is that a good deal? Depends how much you love your drivetrain. Chains are cheap, cassettes and chainrings not so much." From what I've read on this forum, ebikes can eat chains, so I'm giving this a try.

At the risk of starting yet another chain lube thread war, I'd like to report on my first week of using this stuff: https://silca.cc/products/silca-super-secret-chain-lube Disclaimer: I've got nothing to do with this company and paid for their product (dearly) out of my own pocket. I started...

This appeared in a recent issue of my weekly news magazine.

In the spirit of "The perfect is the enemy of the good enough." The Como tail light wire has some very nifty thin connectors just below the seat post. Using the end of a steel tape measure, I determined how far the seat clamp assembly was inserted into the top of the seat post. I dropped...

Good points, Brendon. Will try to walk in their shoes. That said... At some point, from a corporate business standpoint, Specialized would do well to consider the public relations consequences of taking several months to diagnose anything on a bicycle. (I can see from this forum, that I'm not...

Just ordered the Kinekt 2.1 and got 25% off with the code "FALL25". Now all I have to figure out is how to route the tail light wire, so conveniently built into the saddle of the Como!